Our new shark photo opportunity has been a big hit! We've received several pictures of customers posing in the cutout. Here's a few for your viewing pleasure:

So much fun! Don't forget, we're having a contest with these pictures: submit a picture with the shark cutout to us, and you could win a Sandbar T-shirt! You can email them (sandbar@thesandbar.com) or tweet them to us (@thesandbar). We also love to see them on our Facebook page, but because of Facebook's contest rules, you'll also need to submit it by email or tweet in order to enter.

If you hang out on the Sandbar patio for even a short period of time, you'll hear some pretty funny stuff.

Here's a few gems from last Friday night.

Is it raining?

A patron who shall remain nameless suddenly exclaimed that it was raining. No one really believed her; the sky was clear and blue, even though it was getting dark, and there were no signs of imminent rain or storms anywhere. And it was hot. And no one else felt raindrops.

About an hour later, she realized that her cup was leaking, and every time she took a drink she felt "raindrops" on her arms and legs.

You got a smoke?

People on the patio get this a lot. But they probably don't always get the question from the ultimate cougar: feathered, bleached blond hair, short shorts, extra heavy makeup and heels. We're pretty sure she didn't believe that no one in the party had a cigarette.

I'm a puma.

The cougar conversation led directly into the puma conversation. If you're not quite old enough to be a cougar- what is the defining age, anyway?- but you fit the basic criteria, apparenty you can be a puma. I think she just liked saying the word, to be honest.

Are those bats?

Apparently lots of people walk out of the Sandbar and immediately look up to see weird, white, glowing bird-like things flying around. A big debate ensued as to whether they were bats, or pigeons, or some kind of hawk. No one really knew, but the bat story was the most popular.

Spotted on Dave's Facebook page, in the wee hours of the morning after the downtown shot put event:

Dear smart guys, not the brightest move to try and steal the Red Stripe table. Running with a table is a lot slower than without one. Hope you had a good night in jail.

Lots of comments and likes on that one. That night was like a full moon without the full moon.

Here's the story.

Two guys came in the bar to meet some friends. Later that night, out of the corner of his eye, Dave saw one of the guys hop over the patio railing and another guy lifted the patio table over the rail to him.

Dave yelled at doorguy John to get the table.

John and about five customers took off after the guys. One by one, the thieves peeled away from each other- eventually leaving just one poor shmuck hauling the table by himself. This table's not light, either.

Our crew of table-rescuers eventually caught up to the guy and knocked the table out of his grip. As luck would have it, a police officer was parked half a block away. He came over, cuffed the guy and took him away.

Dave feels sort of bad- all he wanted was the table. But hopefully these kids- and anyone else reading this- learned a lesson. Don't steal stuff, people! Just because you're drunk and you think it's a harmless prank, that's no excuse. (And also, your real friends wouldn't let you take the fall all by yourself.)

The kid came in the next day and apologized for "the incident." Kudos to him for stepping up and making the apology, we appreciate it.

In honor of the rainy weather we've had all week and the hot, sunny temperatures expected for the weekend, we bring you one of the highlights of summertime beer-drinking: a patio.

If you haven't been to the Sandbar in Ottawa, you're missing out. Sure, the bar was created in an old Taco Bell building, but after seven years, you'd never know it.

One of the great things about our sister location is the fabulous patio out front. It's gone through a lot of changes since the bar opened, and it was significantly improved once the smoking ban in Ottawa was passed and the smokers needed a fun place to go.

And this is the best kind of patio, because it's all-weather; it's covered and semi-enclosed to help block the wind and cold, and there's lots of tables and chairs. And a foosball table! Our signature decor hangs all over the walls, too.

Check it out sometime. Sometime this summer we'll schedule a volleyball game on the beach in Ottawa, and take a bunch of you down there for drinks on the patio.

We love a good block party, especially when we don't have to do the work.

Tomorrow night (Monday, April 19), Adult Swim presents a free block party at 8th and New Hampshire. The block in front of the Sandbar will be closed most of the day for setup, and the party starts at 6 p.m. It includes carnival games, prizes, free t-shirts, and other surprises.

The event is geared towards the college-age crowd, but it's free and open to anyone.

And there's music! Live performances by Motion Potion and The Whigs are sure to entertain the crowd.

No alcohol is allowed in the street, but there are several bars on the block with patios, including us. We aren't extending our patio area to be any larger, but there's plenty of room for a few folks on our patio, and we'll definitely have the windows open.

The event is open to all ages, but you must be 21 to enter the Sandbar.